Chapter Sixteen: Wild Weekend

"I don't trust him." Eric paced on the porch of his safe house, Godric leaning against the railing, watching his progeny with a frown on his face.

"Did he say anything to make you believe his intentions are impure? Perhaps he simply wishes to try and win over Sookie's affections?" Godric pointed out. "Perhaps you were mistaken and he truly does love her."

"He wants her blood." Eric shot him a glare. "He wants to hand her over to the highest bidder. Just like he was about to do with my Phoenix."

"She's not your Phoenix, Eric." Godric shook his head. "Have you thought that perhaps you are just a tad bit possessive?"

"Not the point right now, Godric." Eric snapped. "We should be focusing on that asshole, Compton and what he's scheming."

"We don't know that he's scheming at all."

"He wants Sookie!" Eric threw his arms up into the air. "He wants to complete the bond, Godric. He wants to manipulate her. She may be part fae, and she may be strong, but she is not as strong as Ellie. She won't be able to stop him."

"You have little faith in Sookie's abilities." Godric pushed himself off of the railing and walked over to his child, laying a hand on his arm to stop him in place. "I'm more surprised over the fact that you care about this."

"What are you saying, Godric?" Eric narrowed his eyes as he stubbornly crossed his arms.

"What I'm saying is that you usually do not care about anyone other than yourself." Godric shrugged.

"I care about Ellie."

"So you say." Godric cocked his head to the side. "But I'm still hesitant to believe that."

"Must we get into this right now? We have bigger problems on our hands." Eric hissed, not wanting to talk about this, yet again. He had had enough chit chat about his apparent spineless acts with his maker. He wanted to focus on the real problem they were faced with. Bill Compton had just suddenly popped back up when he was supposedly leaving Louisiana for a second and permanent period of time. To him, Godric had met the true death, and Eric hadn't let him think anything else. It was important that everyone was to think that Godric was dead and that he was leaving, even though that was the last thing he would do. Not when that sneaky bastard was running around causing problems. And now he would have to be even more careful than he thought. Bill had walked up behind him unannounced once, who was to say it would not happen again? He would have to sharpen his senses, keep himself focused to ensure that his cover was not discovered. And to make sure that his little Phoenix was not harmed in any way. He didn't care about Sookie, he never had. He merely was looking out for Ellie. He knew that if something happened to Sookie, Ellie would do whatever it took to help her. And that would only result in her getting hurt, and he couldn't allow that. Even if it meant coming out of hiding, he would ensure that no harm was to come to her.

"You're right." Godric nodded. "Bill's sudden arrival does warrant suspicion. We must be careful at what we do. Even for me, just going to see Elizabeth will be risking everything."

"I could kill him." Eric suggested, a glint appearing in his blue orbs, wishing he could just rip Bill's head right off of his annoying little shoulders.

"I don't believe that will solve anything, my child." Godric chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "You may kill him after we know what he's up to."

"Excellent." A smirk crossed Eric's lips. "What are we supposed to do until then?"

"We'll have to be very careful. Unfortunately, it seems that I may not be able to ensure Elizabeth's safety by her side as I had planned. If Bill is planning on procuring Sookie by manipulation, then he will be by the house quite frequently." Godric frowned. "I don't like the idea of leaving her unprotected during the night."

"She would argue she could take care of herself." Eric mused as he leaned against the front of the large country home.

"And she could." Godric nodded. "However, I would rather she had more protection than that. We may not be able to watch her from afar as frequent as we may have liked."

"What are we going to do, Godric?" a look of worry crossed Eric's face, a look that just proved to Godric that somewhere inside of that stony heart, Eric truly did care about Ellie.

Godric thought long and hard for a solution. What could they do? They couldn't keep watch over Ellie, not as they had originally planned. They couldn't risk Bill realizing the truth. He couldn't even find himself at the house as he had hoped to, not without knowing for certain that Bill was not watching. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but he knew that they would have to go to extraordinary measures to not only protect Ellie, but also Sookie. Both women were in grave danger now that Bill had returned. He wasn't an idiot. He was two thousand years old; he knew suspicious activity when he saw it. Bill returning when he had, it only proved Eric's point that he was up to something.

And that something wasn't good at all.

"What was it that we did the last time we were not able to protect Ellie as we both saw fit?" Godric gazed over at his progeny, an idea springing to mind.

Eric frowned, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"When she left to stay with Sookie the first time years ago, before the Russell fiasco, what did we do?" Godric reminded Eric.

"I called in that mutt." Eric didn't like the sound of where this was going. "I'm not bringing a damn Were into this, Godric. I've had enough of them."

"What else are we supposed to do, Eric?" Godric sighed. "I know you may not like him, but he's friends with both Sookie and Ellie. It wouldn't seem odd if he was around, if he looked out for them. And perhaps Bill will find himself threaten and retreat."

"No."

"Eric, stop being a stubborn child."

"I said no, Godric." Eric growled.

"Well then I suppose it's a good thing that I'm your maker." Godric crossed his arms over his chest. "As your maker, I command you. If you love her as you say you do, then you'll understand that we must do everything to protect her, to protect both of them. We can't do so, not like we planned to. This is the only way."

Eric looked like he wanted to argue, to find a way around Godric's command. But he couldn't. He knew Godric had the final say, he knew it by the spine chilling shock that ran right through him. But that didn't mean he was the least bit happy.

Alcide sighed as he ran a hand through his scruffy dark hair, exhaustion setting over the werewolf. He was exhausted from dealing with Debbie, from trying to control and calm the woman he had once loved. He was unsure of his feelings for her. In some way, he knew Ellie had been right. He still felt a bond with Debbie, there was still an ounce of love that he had for her, despite how she acted. But Alcide just wasn't sure if he was willing to put himself in that position again. Debbie had changed drastically. She had once been the fun loving woman he had fallen in love with. But not any longer. She was wild beyond belief, stubborn and still had the desire to search out any source of V that she could. He had thought he would have been able to stop her addiction, but not even after the past two years had he been able to do a damn thing. He could have given up of course, but then where would that have left him? He didn't have Sookie, she was now with Sam. He liked Ellie as a friend, but that friendship had pulled him into the wildest situations he had never wanted any part in. All he had left was Debbie and the pack, and even that was faltering.

"What a day." Alcide muttered as he climbed out of the truck as after pulling into the parking lot of his apartment building. He shoved the door closed and nearly jumped a foot into the air at the unexpected appearance of a vampire he hadn't even known to be alive.

"Hello Alcide." Godric greeted the Were, a grim expression on his face.

"Do you all enjoy doing that?" Alcide eyed him suspiciously. "So Ellie had been right all along, you were alive."

"I was." Godric nodded. "I hope your well, Alcide."

"I was doing a whole lot better up until now."Alcide sighed as he crossed his arms, leaning against his truck. "I know vampires well enough to know that you don't just show up unless you want something. What is it this time?"

"I was hoping we could use your services."

"Excuse me?" Alcide raised an eyebrow.

"Elizabeth and Sookie...they are in danger." Godric explained.

"What a shock." Alcide shook his head. "What now?"

"I'm sure you're aware of what's coming, Alcide." Godric knew that the werewolf community was as close knit as the vampire community. When something happened, they all knew of it.

"And how does this effect Ellie and Sookie?"

"We believe that the vampires seeking to invade the state are doing so not only because Sophie-Anne has been in a weakened state these past few months. We believe that they also desire to control Elizabeth and Sookie." Godric frowned. "And Bill Compton.

"What about Compton?" Alcide's eyes narrowed. He didn't like Eric, but he despised Bill even more.

"He's returned and we're suspicious of the reasons. We believe that he is either involved or he has an ulterior motive for being in Bon Temps." Godric sighed. "We're worried."

"You're vamps, you can protect them." Alcide shrugged.

"We could have, if I wasn't believed to be dead, and if Eric wasn't supposed to have left Louisiana."

"What are you saying?"

"New Orleans was attacked when it was because I was there, because they wished to kill the Queen and the oldest vampire that was standing in their way to take over the state. Eric isn't supposed to be here, they won't have to worry about him. The other sheriffs, they've been taken or killed. It's a perfect opportunity for these vampires to attack at any time, and the only way we can stop them, is to wait until the perfect moment and attack them in return. But we cannot do that if the community knows that I'm alive or that Eric is in fact here in Louisiana. We can't protect them, not like we had planned to." Godric explained, going into more detail than he should have. Eric would have complained, but he wasn't here at the moment, and the only way to have Alcide aid them was to tell him the truth.

"So you want me to do it for you?" Alcide shook his head, not liking this idea at all. "You've dragged me into your crap one too many times."

"I assure you that..."

"I care about Sookie and Ellie, but not enough to put my life on the line. Again." Alcide pushed himself away from his truck. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

"Alcide, it's important. They could be in grave danger."

"And they're strong enough to take care of themselves." Alcide shrugged. "I can't involve myself in your problems anymore, Godric. I have enough problems of my own. I have the pack, I have Debbie, I can't take on anything else."

Godric sighed in defeat as Alcide brushed passed him. He felt utterly helpless. He couldn't protect Ellie, not as he had hoped to. And now his only other alternative had failed. What was he supposed to do now?

"Look, I can't help you." Alcide turned after a moment. "But I think I know someone who might be able to."

A week had passed since Eric had left quicker than I would have imagined. I kept myself busy at Merlotte's, filling in for whatever shifts Sam needed covered. There were days I would shoo Sam and Sookie off, working a double shift just so I wouldn't have to find myself alone and thinking about Eric. Because even though I felt lighter, freer without the vampire in my life, even though I had burned all of the memories away, there was still a tiny part of my heart that I knew missed him. And I don't think that would ever change. Because Eric was the love of my life, he was my soul mate. You couldn't just cut that out and throw it away. I had to heal completely before I got to the point that I wouldn't feel an ounce of love for him, if that was even possible. That would also take longer than a simple week. I was happier he was gone. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in years. But I would always have a part of me that would miss him, that would hope that he would reconsider.

What would I do if that day ever occurred?

I wasn't so sure.

But then again, I wasn't so sure that would ever happen.

I guess a part of me was hopeful that it would. But the logical side of me told me that it was better that he was gone, that I could move on with my life and be happy for once. And that logical side was the only part of myself that I was listening to. Because mourning over Eric, grieving over him, I just couldn't do it anymore. I had promised myself a fresh start, and that was what I was going to damn well do.

"I have an idea." I walked into the kitchen as Sookie sat down to eat her lunch. She was off this weekend, which was surprising as Merlotte's was always the busiest on the weekend. But Arlene and Holly wanted the hours, and Sam wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to spend time with Sookie.

But of course, he was going to have to go through me first.

"Should I be worried?" Sookie set down her fork and looked up at me.

"When have I ever had a bad idea?" I plopped down in the seat across from her.

"Would you like me to list them alphabetically, or in chronological order." A smirk crossed her face.

"Okay, okay, so I've had some bad ideas in the past." I rolled my eyes. "This isn't one of them."

"I'll believe that when I see it." she chuckled, pushing her plate away. "But go ahead and tell me anyways."

"I think you and I should have a girl's weekend." I brought up the idea I had been thinking about the entire morning. I wanted to just forget about men in general. They were annoying and complicated, and as perfect as Sam was, I couldn't concentrate with his annoyingly good looks and romantic personality around.

"A girl's weekend?" Sookie tilted her head to the side. "Well that doesn't sound too bad."

"A girls weekend away." I added, cringing as Sookie sent me a look of disbelief. "Now just hear me out before you say anything."

"A girls weekend away? Are you insane? With everything that's going on right now, with psychotic vampires wanting to invade our home, you think it's a good time to jump in a car and go away for the weekend?" She looked at me as if I was utterly insane.

And I probably was.

But a weekend away was exactly what I needed. And wouldn't it be better to take a few days away from the two states that were targets of an invasion? Maybe they would decide to invade while we were away, and Godric would kick all of their asses so by the time we rolled back into Bon Temps, everything would be okay again. It was doubtful of course, but hey, a girl could dream, couldn't she?

"No. Definitely not." Sookie shook her head. "You've had some insane ideas before, Ellie, but this is one of the worst."

"But wouldn't it be safer if we weren't sitting ducks in the very state that they want to invade." I pointed out.

"We would be alone, without anyone to help us if anything should happen. And you know us, Ellie. We're magnets for trouble."

"Okay, that's true, but we're two of the most powerful beings Sookie. We can kick major ass." I reminded her.

"You can." Sookie frowned. "I have no control over my powers, you know that."

"When you get angry you get the microwave fingers." I shrugged. "It works out. And it's not like we're going to exactly be alone."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you honestly think I would have us go somewhere without even a little tiny bit of protection?" my grin returned. I had planned this thoroughly before I came in here to talk with her. I just hoped that my excellent planning skills would pay off and Sookie would bite. Because I honestly needed to just get away from everything Louisiana, everything related to my life right now. Even if it was just for one night. I just needed a nice weekend away with my best friend to compose myself. And then I can jump back into the swing of things and fight for my life.

Again.

"Alright, tell me." Sookie still looked incredibly worried.

"We go to Dallas." I told her triumphantly.

"We go to Dallas?" She raised an eyebrow. "That's your big solution?"

"Well...yes." I nodded. "I know Dallas like the back of my hand. I grew up there for most of my life. And Isabel is Sheriff, so we're pretty much as safe as we could possibly be. Probably safer there than we are here at the moment."

Sookie sat there thinking, her eyes drifting down to the table as she contemplated everything I've told her. I knew it wasn't a fool proof plan, because honestly, trouble did always manage to find us. But we couldn't always be afraid of that. We were two young females who needed to just get out of this suffocating town and live like normal people did. We needed to have fun, needed to just be crazy and not worry about the consequences. We could worry once we were back in Bon Temps. I knew Isabel would keep an eye on us, ensuring that no vampire or any other supernatural being attacked us. And while Sookie might not know the extent of her Faerie powers, I did know the extent of my own Phoenix powers, and I could guarantee that we would be fine. Because hell, I could set a vampire on fire in 2.6 seconds, how many other people can say they could do that with only a snap of their fingers?

"I don't know..." Sookie looked up, biting her bottom lip nervously.

"I promise you Sookie, we won't do anything stupid. Or more importantly, I won't do anything stupid." I reached over and clasped my hand around hers. "I just want to get away from everything, just for the weekend. I need this. I need to just clear my head so when we come back, I can fight for my life, our life, much better than I could right now. My mind is still so clouded because of Eric. But if we go away, I could just get rid of everything to do with Eric and start fresh. Like really start fresh."

Sookie sighed, running a hand trough her blonde hair. "Sam and Godric won't like this."

"Sam will understand. And Godric...well let me deal with him." I squeezed her hand. "Please Sookie? You're my best friend and I really need this."

Her nose crinkled and the grin appeared on my lips. I knew she was folding, I could see it in her eyes that while she was concerned something might happen, she was also excited about the prospect of getting out of town and actually having fun for once. Neither of us had exactly had it easy these past few years. We needed a few days to just forget about it all and move on. And what better way to do that than a girl's weekend?

"Just as long as you promise, and I really mean this Ellie, you have to promise not to do anything stupid." She gave me a pointed look. "I know you, and you sometimes go over the top."

"I promise on my life that I won't do anything stupid." I promised her, barely able to contain myself. "So we're really going to do this?"

"I guess I don't really have any other choice." She nodded, though there was a glint of happiness in her orbs.

I squealed happily as I jumped out of my chair and just about threw myself at Sookie.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" I hugged her tightly.

"Okay, okay." Sookie patted my back with a laugh. "When do you want to leave?"

"Before sundown. Because god knows Godric will not like this one bit."

I nervously stood in my bedroom, staring down at the phone in my hands. It was still a good couple of hours before the sun would set, meaning Godric would be nice and asleep right now. Which meant that Sookie and I could easily slip out of town with just a voice message letting the vampire know where we were. I knew he wouldn't be happy. Godric was protective, and normally I loved that about him. But just like I had that night I burnt all of the memories I had of Eric, I needed to do this without him. I loved Godric, and I loved that he cared so much about me. But Sookie and I just needed to get away without him breathing down our necks. It wasn't like we would be gone long. We would spend tonight in Dallas, and then return home in time for sunset tomorrow. It was just a short trip. Nothing would happen.

"Here it goes." I muttered to myself as I pressed in the familiar numbers and raised the phone to my ear. I chewed on my bottom lip as it rang a couple of times before going straight to voice mail. "Hey Godric, it's Ellie, I know you're still asleep so I just wanted to leave you a message saying..."

"Elizabeth?"

I jumped when I heard Godric's voice sounding through the phone as he unexpectedly picked up. I glanced at the time again before gazing out the bright sunny window. What was he doing up so early?

"Is everything alright Elizabeth?" Godric sounded concerned.

"Yeah, everything is fine. Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"You know very well that I do not require as much sleep with my age." He answered, a hint of worry still in his tone. "Is anything the matter? You've never called this early before."

"Oh yeah, everything is great." I began chewing on my fingernails, cursing myself for not blurting out the message fast enough. Now I would have to tell Godric and face his wrath. Even if he couldn't just appear out of thin air in the middle of the day to stop me, it sure as hell won't stop the vampire from trying everything he could to make sure I didn't leave.

"Why were you calling?" He questioned.

"Well...I was just...er...you see..." I was starting to ramble, my nerves getting the better of me.

"I'm sure I'll regret asking this but, what's going on, Elizabeth?"

I sighed, knowing that I was going to have to tell him one way or another. He would be even more worried if Sookie and I just left without him knowing. "Sookie and I are going away for the weekend."

I was met with silence, and for a moment, I thought Godric hadn't heard me.

"No."

Oh no, he definitely heard me. "No? What do you mean no?"

"No. Absolutely not." I could just imagine him shaking his head, a stern look on his face.

"Well I mean, I wasn't exactly asking your permission." I frowned, twirling a piece of hair around my finger.

"I forbid it."

"You forbid it?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't really think you can do that."

"We have vampires seeking to take over Louisiana and Mississippi, the same vampires that want you and Sookie, and you are honestly telling me that you two want to go away for the weekend, alone? You've done some pretty dumb things in the past, Elizabeth, but this is just asking for trouble."

"We're going to Dallas; I already left Isabel a message so she'll know we're there. And anyways, Sookie and I are powerful, we'll be fine." I insisted.

"I won't allow it."

"Well it's kind of already planned. I was just going to tell you and then we were going to be on our way." I glanced over to the door where Sookie was popping her head into the room, a curious expression on her face. "And Sookie looks ready so we're just going to..."

"Elizabeth Cole, you will not leave that house, do I make myself clear?" He ordered, sounding more like an overprotective father than my best friend.

"Sorry dad but Sookie and I need a weekend away. I'm only calling so you wouldn't be worried. We'll be fine, I promise you." I assured him as I stood, pulling my overnight bag off of the bed. "I'll call you when we get there and we should be back here by the time the sun sets tomorrow."

"Elizabeth..."

"Love you Godric, see you tomorrow." I quickly hung up before Godric could say another word. A look of amusement crossed Sookie's face as she leaned against the doorway and I simply stuck my tongue out at her.

"He's going to be extremely pissed off tomorrow, isn't he?" She asked knowingly.

"Beyond pissed off. But I'll just flash him the puppy dog eyes, he falls for them every time."

"...irresponsible little girl..."

"...she could get herself killed..."

"...doesn't she understand the risks..."

Eric snickered as he watched his maker pace in front of him. It was amusing to him to see Godric act in such a way. He was usually so composed and put together, but instead, he looked frazzled and what he expected a worried father to look like. And that's exactly how Godric was acting. He was acting as if his teenage daughter had run off against his orders and he looked ready to just jump in the car, or fly, right to Dallas. And Godric would have.

Hell, he would have done so as well.

But Eric, while even he couldn't deny that he felt angered at Ellie's stupidity, he knew that taking off to Dallas would only bring them more trouble. They could risk losing their cover and they couldn't let that happen. They wanted to keep Ellie safe, yes, but the only way they could do that in the long run would be to ensure that no one knew they were here. Flying off to Dallas, creating a scene, that wouldn't help their cause at all.

"What did you say Alcide said again?" Eric questioned, trying to calm his maker by coming up with a suitable solution. He may not like Alcide, in fact, he despised anything to do with that Were, but he was the best alternative to keep his precious Phoenix safe. For all they knew, Bill could be following them, or any number of other vampires could be doing the exact same thing. It was night fall now, and they would have arrived in Dallas not too long ago. Eric tried opening the bond just enough to know where Ellie might be and what she and Sookie were doing, but at the moment everything seemed calm.

But it always usually did right before the worst occurred.

"He doesn't wish to become involved again." Godric sighed, running a hand down his face. "But he gave me the name of someone who might?"

"And who's that?" Eric narrowed his eyes. He didn't trust the life of the woman he loved in the hands of strangers, and certainly not a stranger that Alcide was suggesting.

"You will not like it." Godric shook his head. "You will not like it at all."

"Why won't I like it, Godric?" Eric sat forward, his hands clenching together. "What is it? Who is this person?"

"His name is Quinn." Godric was hesitant to continue, only doing so when Eric flashed him a dark look. "He's a Were-Tiger."

Realization dawned, and the bundle of anger Eric had fought to keep under control just exploded.

"No." He growled so low, it barely even came out as a word.

"Eric this is the only way." Godric reminded him. "I agree with you that unfortunately, neither of us can run off to Dallas right now. We need to be here when this invasion occurs, and that can happen at any time. If we go to Dallas, if we go after them, we risk compromising everything. Alcide won't get involved, and this is too much for Sam or Pam to handle. Quinn, he's familiar with both Ellie and Sookie, and from what Alcide has told me, he sounds like someone who can handle himself in the face of danger."

"I said no." Eric stood, his fangs flashing out. "I will not hand over Ellie to that...that thing!"

"He's a Were-Tiger, one of the most rare, and powerful shifters, Eric. He is our only shot at keeping Ellie safe."

"She can look after herself."

"No she can't, history has taught as that. She might think she can, and I'm sure she might be powerful. But you and I both know that Ellie cracks under extreme pressure. She acts from the heart, and that has put her in more dangerous situations than not. We have to ensure that she is safe, and Quinn is the only one we can send without angering either of the girls. Neither of them would expect him of all people to follow them around. It's the only option we have." Godric reasoned with his progeny.

"I will go there myself if I have to. I will not involve him. I will not hand her over to some other man."

"But Alcide was alright?" Godric shook his head. "What other choice do we have, Eric?"

"We'll think of something else!"

"There is no way around this. Alcide has already spoken with Quinn this past week and has informed me that Quinn had agreed to watch over Ellie. One word and he'll be in Dallas in no time."

"I will not allow this, Godric." Eric hissed.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Godric slipped his phone out of his pocket.

"Godric..."

"Do you love her, Eric?" Godric snapped, his eyes narrowing as he stared up at his child. "Do you honestly love her? I command you to be honest with me."

Even without the command, Eric knew his answer. "Yes."

"This is the only way to protect her, Eric. I know you don't approve, and I know part of you doesn't want to lose her, for her to be happy with anyone other than you. But that's not what's happening here. This is her safety, her well being that we're talking about. The only way to ensure that is by having Quinn watch her when we cannot."

"But..."

"I believe that you love her. I believe that you would do anything to keep her safe." Godric sighed as he set his hand on Eric's arm. "This is the only way to do that, at least for right now. Would you rather she run around without someone watching over her?"

"No." Eric muttered.

"Then let me call Quinn, let him protect her. Maybe one day you can get that your head out of your ass and protect her yourself without having to hide. But until that happens, you'll have to trust me, my son."

Eric glared down at the ground, hating that his maker was right. He couldn't protect Ellie, not like he had promised he would. And part of him hated himself for that. If he had only stayed, if he had been with her, then he could be the one at her side protecting her, not some other man. But he wasn't at her side, and he hadn't allowed himself to be with her. He knew in the long run, it was better for them both. But that didn't mean he didn't hate himself for causing his own bitter grief.

"Fine." Eric finally grumbled, falling back down onto his previously occupied seat. "But I do not like this one bit, Godric. You better damn well hope this shifter is trustworthy. Or else I'll rip him apart."

"I assure you that he is."

"And he better damn well not touch her in any way. She is mine, Godric, only mine."